Stocks of some iPod touch models are starting to run low and may be connected to recent promotional announcements, according to one Wall Street analyst, who also notes that the advent of the $199 iPhone 3G will put pressure on Apple to alter its pricing on the high-end media players in the next few months.
Having digested Apple's iPhone 3G announcements from Monday, analysts at both Citigroup and Lehman Brothers have sharply raised their 12-month price targets for the electronics maker.
A new research note by Lehman Brothers calls for an Apple device with an Intel Atom processor within 12 months, and expects the iPhone to reach more than one billion potential customers before the end of 2008.
Global financial services firm Lehman Brothers initiated coverage on Apple this week with an Overweight rating and $195 price target given the company's ongoing share gains in the PC market, potential for open-ended growth with new iPhones, and prospects for groundbreaking new products later this year and next.
American Technology Research on Monday increased its estimates for Apple's soon-to-end second fiscal quarter of 2008 on better than expected Mac growth. Meanwhile, an analyst long covering Apple for UBS has been lured away by Lehman Brothers, where he'll be tasked with a similar role.
Leading U.S. electronics specialty retailer Best Buy said this week it plans to increase the number of stores carrying Apple Inc.'s Mac computer line twofold in the next several weeks, signaling robust demand for the Windows PC alternatives in the broader consumer market.
Analysts for investment bank UBS on Monday raised their estimates and price target on Apple Inc., citing better than expected sales of Macs this holiday season and upcoming product introductions that could include an ultra-portable notebook and pay-per-view movie service.
Last quarter's stellar Apple sales demonstrate that the creation of a second halo using the iPhone is paying off and may be helped by a future ultraportable or new iPhones in the spring, according to a new report from UBS Investment Research.
Investment bank USB on Wednesday increased its estimates on gadget maker Apple Inc, explaining that the company's recent iPod touch and iPhone price cut announcements are likely drive additional revenues through higher iPod average selling prices and additional AT&T royalty payments, respectively.
Shares of Apple Inc. rose nearly 5 percent on Tuesday after an analyst for UBS Investment Research said checks indicate that the company will likely beat its stated sales goal of 730,000 iPhone units for the current quarter.
Apple, Inc.'s launch of the iPhone is the catalyst for a second halo effect that will spur the company's core iPod and Mac businesses, says analyst Ben Reitzes of UBS Investment Research.
Apple Inc. continued to see solid demand for Macs last quarter with refreshes to both its MacBook lines leading the charge, according to Wall Street analysts at UBS.
Apple Inc.'s iTunes digital jukebox software is downloaded 1 million times per day and has an active user base of 500 million users, the company said during annual developers conference on Monday.
Citing their belief that Apple's iPhone and free cash flow potential is even greater than investors realize, analysts from UBS Investment Research joined those over at PiperJaffray this week in raising their firm's price target on shares of the electronics maker to $160.
Mac maker Apple Inc. saw retail sales of Mac units grow a solid 62 percent year-over-year for the month of April, which included a 94 percent spike in notebook sales thanks to solid MacBook and MacBook Pro momentum, as well as increased distribution.
Apple's inaugural mobile handset, iPhone, will be available for sale at 2000 retail store fronts when it goes on sale for the first time next month, putting the device within reach of most US households.
Investment banking analysts for UBS just returned from a meeting in Cupertino with members of Apple's executive team, who were described as being "confident" about their company's strategy and "very upbeat" about the prospect for new products.
Fighting the current, Citigroup on Thursday lowered its rating on shares of Apple to "Hold" from "Buy," citing the rapid increase in the company's share price.
Several investment banks are throwing their weight behind Apple's decision Thursday to delay its Leopard operating system in favor of pushing its eagerly sought iPhone device into the market on time.
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Katie Marsal
Slash Lane
AppleInsider Staff
Prince McLean
Katie Marsal and Kasper Jade
